The present invention generally relates to air conditioner or heat pump condensing units and, in a representatively illustrated embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to a specially designed air conditioner or heat pump condensing unit having a chassis with enhanced serviceability access to its internal equipment such as a compressor, condenser coil, expansion vale and reversing valve.
Typical air conditioner or heat pump outdoor units (usually referred to as “condensers” or “condensing units”) are normally designed with a configuration resembling a “cube” shape. These outdoor units, although usually cost effective, typically do not offer particularly easy access to air conditioning system components within their outer chassis such as compressor, condenser coil, expansion valve and reversing valve components within the condensing unit chassis. Quite often the only access path to the interior of the condensing unit, to repair and/or remove mechanical components within the condensing unit chassis, is from the top side of the unit through a central fan discharge opening from which a wire fan guard has been removed. This is often quite difficult, and is especially so if the condensing unit is very tall.
Because of this, contractors who install and service condensing units often complain about the difficulty of performing service or replacement of some component parts within a condensing unit. It can easily be imagined how difficult it can be to, for example, use a high temperature torch to unbraze and re-braze the component parts within the condensing unit when access is only provided through the top grill of the unit, or to lift a heavy compressor (that can weigh 50-96 pounds) up and out of the top of the condensing unit through the fan guard opening.
In view of these well known problems, limitations and disadvantages often associated with conventional condensing unit chassis configurations, it would be desirable to provide a condensing unit chassis construction that provides enhanced serviceability access to its interior components. It is to this goal that the present invention is primarily directed.